Chinese investiture envoys

The Chinese investiture envoys ceremony at Shuri castle, as depicted in a handscroll painting by Yamaguchi Suiô, based on images in the Zhongshan chuanxin lu by Xu Baoguang. Sakamaki-Hawley Collection, Univ. of Hawaii Library.

• Other Names: 天使 (C: tian-shi)
• Japanese/Chinese: 冊封使 (sappoushi / cefengshi)

Chinese investiture envoys were diplomatic missions sent by Ming and Qing China to the Kingdom of Ryûkyû to perform investiture rituals, officially confirming the king of Ryûkyû in the eyes of the Chinese Imperial Court, and confirming his position as a tributary subordinate to the Chinese Emperor within the Sinocentric system of diplomatic relations.

History

Satto became, in 1372, the first Ryukyuan king to submit to Chinese suzerainty. Beginning with the investiture of Satto's successor, Bunei, in 1406, twenty-two such missions traveled to Ryûkyû in total, the last in 1866, for the investiture of Shô Tai.

The Ming Dynasty capital of Beijing fell to Manchu invaders in 1644, marking the beginning of Qing Dynasty control of China; Ming loyalists continued to hold out in southern China and Taiwan, however, for several decades. For a time, King Shô Ken maintained the kingdom's allegiance to, and relations with, the Ming, in part because of pragmatic economic concerns, namely Ming willingness to resume the raw silk trade. Chinese envoy Xie Bizhen traveled alongside Ryukyuan representatives within China, and to & from Ryûkyû, numerous times, attempting to convince the kingdom to sever its ties with the Ming loyalists, and enter into relations with the Qing Dynasty.

Shô Ken was succeeded by his younger brother, Shô Shitsu following the former's death in 1647, and King Shô Shitsu was eventually convinced to send a delegation to Beijing. The Ryukyuan envoys, Ma Zongyi and Cai Zuolong, were sent to congratulate the Shunzhi Emperor on his recent enthronement, to had over the king's Ming stamp and Imperial Rescript, and to request a new stamp and rescript from the Qing. It is said, however, that Shô Shitsu did not request investiture from the Qing, nor desire that a Qing embassy should come to Ryûkyû.

A Qing embassy was commissioned in to journey to Ryûkyû anyway, in 1654, in order to clarify Ryûkyû's position under Qing authority. The embassy, led by Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai, traveled to Fuzhou along with Xie Bizhen, Ma Zongyi, and Cai Zuolong, but was unable to proceed to Ryûkyû, blocked by the naval forces of Zheng Chenggong (Coxinga), leader of the Ming loyalists on Taiwan.

The Shunzhi Emperor died in 1661 and was succeeded by the Kangxi Emperor, who ordered Zhang and Wang to journey to Ryûkyû to perform the official investiture rituals, and to present Shô Shitsu with a new Qing Imperial rescript. The two arrived in Naha in 1663 along with Sai Soryû and Xie Bizhen (Ba Sôki had died in 1659), surprising Ryukyuan officials, who had not requested investiture, and who had not been informed to expect the Chinese envoys' arrival. Furthermore, Shuri castle had been destroyed by a fire in 1660, and so Ryûkyû was especially unprepared to formally receive these Chinese envoys. Nevertheless, the investiture went forward, and the system or tradition of Chinese investiture envoys being sent to Ryûkyû was re-established.

During both the 1719 and 1756 missions, embarrassing and damaging disputes broke out between Ryukyuan officials and members of the Chinese missions (mainly Fuzhou sailors and merchants who had come along in order to trade), concerning the amount of goods members of the mission had brought to Ryûkyû, the prices Ryûkyû was willing or able to spend to purchase those goods, and similar or related matters. (See below for some further details on these incidents.) A number of steps were then taken in the early 19th century in an effort to ensure that similar incidents would not occur again; these included increased efforts to examine the character of the servants, sailors, and merchants who were to serve as members of the missions, and enhanced regulations or enforcement of the amount of personal goods each member of the mission could bring with them to trade.

Preparation

Upon the death of the King of Ryûkyû, the kingdom sent an emissary to Fuzhou to formally report the sovereign's death. This type of mission was called pao-sang in Chinese. Following the 1609 invasion of Ryukyu, beginning with the succession of Shô Hô, Satsuma han also had to be notified and asked for approval and confirmation of the new king.

It took several years for the Ryukyuan government to prepare to receive a Chinese investiture mission, an undertaking which was quite expensive for the small kingdom, and for which the Chinese government contributed not at all. When preparations were ready, Ryûkyû would sent another emissary, to present the official request for investiture (C: ch'ing feng). This would be accompanied by a formal document, signed or sealed by a great many Ryukyuan officials, from the highest posts down to local lords, acknowledging widespread recognition of this particular king as the rightful king, and declaring loyalty to the man to be invested. Finally, once envoys were selected, a Ryukyuan official would meet the envoys (C: chieh-feng) in Fuzhou. All of these emissaries would travel with Ryukyuan tribute missions, and not on separate journeys in separate craft.

The envoys, known as tian-shi in Chinese (J: 天史, tenshi), were selected from a pool of nominees nominated by the Board of Rites, Grand Secretariat, Hanlin Academy, and Censorate. The roughly fifteen or so nominees would be presented to the Emperor, who would select a chief envoy and a vice-envoy from among them. As the investiture mission was one of formal ceremony and not one of diplomatic negotiations or foreign policy, diplomatic skill or experience was not a criterion for selection; envoys were generally chosen based on their formal classical education. Dressed and equipped with accoutrements far above their rank, the envoys were provided with a minimal amount of funds to support them on their journey. Local officials in Fuzhou saw to their accommodations there, and once in Ryûkyû, the burden was placed on the Ryukyuan government to pay for the envoys' food, shelter, entertainment, and other needs.

The Envoys in Shuri

The Chinese envoys arrived in ships called ukwanshin (御冠船, lit. "Crown Ships") in Okinawan. The mission would usually consist of two official envoy ships, separate crafts carrying the chief envoy and his deputy, as some uncertainty accompanied the journey; these would be accompanied by a number of merchant ships. During Japan's Edo period, an agent from Satsuma known as a kansen bugyô (冠船奉行, "Investiture (Crown) Ships Magistrate") would be sent down to Ryûkyû to supervise the exchanges and interactions between Chinese and Ryukyuan officials, albeit from somewhat of a distance, given the policy of hiding Satsuma's involvement in Ryûkyû from the Chinese. A Ryukyuan office known as the hyôka-gata in Japanese (C: pingjia shi) set the prices of commodities imported in this way, and oversaw the purchases of the Chinese goods.

Arriving in Shuri, the envoys generally stayed for four to eight months at a residence known as the Tenshikan, and were extensively entertained by the Ryukyuan royal court. A number of structures built for this purpose (and reconstructed/restored in the late 20th century), including the Ryûtan pond and the Hokuden (North Hall) of Shuri Castle, can still be seen today on the castle grounds. The total Chinese entourage generally numbered between 300 and 800 people, and hosting and entertaining the Chinese envoys was an extremely expensive endeavor for the Ryukyuan court, costing roughly 320,000 taels of silver, much of which often had to be borrwed from Satsuma. The envoys were treated to seven formal banquets during their stay; in addition, they were visited by senior officials and ministers once every five days, who brought the emissaries considerable amounts of food.

A "Minister of Dance" (O: udui bugyô) oversaw these entertainments; kumi odori, a traditional form of Ryukyuan dance-drama, was first created and performed for entertaining an investiture envoy and his fellows, in 1719.

During their stay in Ryûkyû, the Chinese emissaries performed two rituals: not only the investiture ritual (C: ts'e feng), but also a ritual recognizing the death of the former king as an "Imperial sacrifice" (C: yü-chi hsien-wang).

The Investiture Ceremony

The investiture ceremony itself was performed in the central courtyard (O: unaa) of Shuri Castle, where a structure was erected to represent the Chinese Imperial Court. At dawn on the day of the ceremony, the Imperial patent, Imperial edict of investiture, and Imperial gifts to the king and queen were placed in small portable pavilions. A group of Ryukyuan officials involved with the ceremony met the Chinese envoys and kowtowed to the patent, edict, and Imperial gifts, and then led the envoys and these Imperial objects in procession to the una-, a distance of about three miles (ten ri) from the Envoys' Residence, passing huge crowds of people who had turned out on the sides of the road to see the procession.

The procession met the king and his top advisors at the Shureimon, the symbolic entrance to the castle grounds. The king, and all the officials of the royal government, arranged by rank, kowtowed to the objects held in the portable pavilions, an act symbolic of receiving the Chinese Emperor himself. The king then led the procession into the castle and to the una-, where the objects were placed upon a table and flanked by the envoys, atop the raised platform, the king remaining below, at ground level.

After another kowtow and some music played by the Ryukyuan royal ensemble, the king knelt as the investiture edict was read. He then performed another kowtow, and the title of "king" (C: guo-wang; J: kokuô) was formally granted to him. Further kowtows accompanied the presentation of the Imperial gifts and of the Imperial patent and edict. Though Chinese custom dictated that the edict and patent be returned to the envoys afterward, Ryûkyû always requested to keep the objects as national heirlooms. The envoys' request to have them returned, Ryukyuan request to keep them, and granting of permission quickly became part of the investiture ritual. Before granting permission, the envoys also requested that the patents and edicts from previous investitures be shown to them.

The investiture ceremony concluded with the envoys being led by the king on a tour of the castle, and by a mutual kowtow of farewell. Throughout, the king was swathed in formal Chinese costume gifted him by the Imperial Court. The formal outfit, or hibenfuku in Japanese (皮弁服), included a dragon robe, belt (J: sekitai), black silk shoes called kanku, ritual sword (J: chiyoganemaru), and black silk crown. The crown, called hibenkan in Japanese (皮弁冠; C: pi bian guan), was made of a mixture of black tsumugi and bast fibers, which formed a sort of crepe, molded over a rigid frame and lined with jewels and gold decorations. The crown, visible in official Ryukyuan royal portraits, originally had nine ridges, but after 1756, it came to have twelve ridges, indicating a greater honorary rank for the king. An eleven-inch golden hairpin with a dragon motif was then stuck through the crown, which was additionally held on with red-orange braided tassels. These formal garments, crown, and other accoutrements were provided by the Chinese envoys during the Ming Dynasty, but in the Qing Dynasty, the envoys would provide garments only, and the Ryukyuan Court had to provide the crown and other accoutrements itself.

When not wearing this ceremonial investiture crown, the king, and certain officials, would often wear a Chinese court cap called usanmo in Japanese. Made of black silk, its round form enclosed the head, and had long, stiff wings which stuck out to either side.

Originally, Ryukyuan kings were given robes of a lower rank, but later would be granted robes indicative of a rank equivalent to Imperial Prince. When the Ming dynasty fell and was replaced by the Manchu Qing dynasty, the Ryukyuans were permitted to maintain Ming costume, but were furthermore permitted to wear Ming costume only for the investiture ceremony itself; outside of the ceremony, even during the continued visit of the Chinese envoys, the Ryukyuan king and his officials were expected to wear Ryukyuan court costume. By the 19th century, this Ming style of court dress, not seen in China for over a century and a half, became a considerable focus of curiosity and attention from the Chinese envoys.

Following the investiture, an emissary would journey to the Chinese capital, to formally express gratitude (C: hsieh-en).

Timeline of Missions

• 1406 - First investiture mission arrives for the investiture of Bunei.

• 1534 - Chen Kan leads the mission.

• 1562 - Shô Gen is invested as king.

• 1654 - A mission led by Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai is organized, to travel to Ryûkyû, to discuss Ryûkyû's position under Qing authority; the mission does not make it to Ryûkyû, however, being blocked by Ming loyalists.

• 1663 - Zhang Xueli and Wang Gai lead the first investiture mission sent by the Qing Court, re-establishing the tradition after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Shô Shitsu is invested as king.

• 1683 - Shô Tei is invested as king. Wang Ji (1636-1699) leads the mission.

• 1719/9/9 - Kumi odori, a new form of dance-drama, created by Tamagusuku Chôkun for the entertainment of the Chinese envoys, is first performed for the envoys for the investiture of King Shô Kei. Two of the plays performed were Nidô Tichiuchi and Kôkô no maki, a tale of King Gihon.

A dispute breaks out between the Chinese party, led by Hai Bao and Xu Baoguang, and the Ryukyuan officials, led by Sai On and Tei Junsoku. The kingdom had gathered only 500 kan of silver to purchase goods brought from China for trade, but the mission unexpectedly brought 2,000 kan worth of goods, including jades, spices, porcelains, clocks, antiques, and scrolls of calligraphy and painting by famous artists of the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. In the end, Sai On negotiated a settlement, paying 600 kan for all of the goods. This occurred in part because the 1719 mission included 600 additional people, including cartographers who set out to map the archipelago; the extra people brought extra goods to trade, and when they were unable to sell everything they had brought, the entire mission arranged to stay in Ryûkyû an extra three and a half months, imposing even greater financial strain upon the kingdom.

• 1756-1757 - Quan Kui and Zhou Huang (d. 1785) lead the mission for the investiture of King Shô Boku, as Senior Envoy and Deputy Envoy respectively. During his time in Shuri, Chou Huang compiles the Ryûkyû-koku shiryaku, an account of Ryukyuan history and customs based on the records and reports of earlier Chinese envoys, Ryukyuan records, and Chou's own observations.

On the way to Ryûkyû, after departing Fuzou, the two lead investiture vessels are wrecked in a storm, and the envoys and their close attendants nearly drown. The ship carrying the lead envoys runs aground on rocks near Kumejima, and the passengers are rescued by Ryûkyû. The other ship, meanwhile, gets pushed back to Zhejiang; its occupants then make their way overland to Fuzhou, secure a new ship, and arrive in Naha in the winter.

Quarrels started by some members of the embassy, and excessive forcefulness in attempts to force trade, lead to the execution, beating, and banishment of several members of the embassy, and the stripping of Chou Huang of his title (though not his post). A gift of 50,000 ounces of silver by the king, in compensation for the losses in the shipwreck, is returned by order of the Qianlong Emperor.

• 1800 - The investiture mission is led by Zhao Wenkai and Li Dingyuan and is held during a period of national mourning following the death of the Qianlong Emperor. The seven banquets traditionally held for the envoys are skipped, private trade is discouraged by the lead envoys, and an offer by the king of 10,000 ounces of silver in gratitude is declined by the envoys. Ryukyuan officials surprise Li with gifts on the occasion of his mother's birthday. In light of the events of the previous two missions, extra precautions are taken to discourage or prevent disputes or disturbances.

On the return from Ryukyu, the mission is attacked by pirates, and endures a great storm. They survive, and return to China safely, but Zhao is said to have been significantly weakened by the harrowing experience; he died four years later.

• 1808 - A mission is sent.

• 1836 - The Daoguang Emperor issues an edict explicitly forbidding any members of the embassy to bring goods to Ryûkyû with the intent of engaging in trade.

• 1838 - The mission is led by Lin Hongnian and Gao Renjian.

• 1866 - Final investiture envoys, led by Zhao Xin, arrive for the investiture of Shô Tai.

References

• Schottenhammer, Angela. "The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges - China and her neighbors." in Schottenhammer (ed.) The East Asian maritime world, 1400-1800: Its fabrics of power and dynamics of exchanges. Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007. pp45ff.